The Game
by The Phantom Panda
Summary: What would you do for her?


The Game  
By The Phantom Panda  
Summary: What would you do for her?  
Rating: M  
Warning: Language, Violence  
Characters: D, Scully; F, Mulder.  
Genre: Drama, Romance  
Spoilers: Mild for Duane Barry and Never Again  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything please don't hurt me =)  
Authors note: Hey erm.. I'd love to hear what you think so please comment, but please go easy on me =D. I hope you like it, and I'll update as soon as I can... =D

One

The world stopped turning. Time came to a halt, and a chill spread through the small fourth floor apartment coating everything with a slight out-of-focus, dull, grey colour. Or, that's what if felt like for Special Agent Fox Mulder as he stared down at the single Polaroid photograph in his shaking hands. In reality, the world continued to turn, the small clock on the side table next to the old brown leather sofa ticked on with every passing second, and the colour in the room remained bright and alive, well as bright as brown and beige can be.

For a second the humour of how a single, small photograph could turn his entire world upside down and cause his stomach crash to the floor while, simultaneously causing the hot feeling of bile rising up his throat struck him. But just for a second, because after that second the enormity of what this picture he held in his hands meant all came crashing down around him. He wanted to scream, to drop the picture and race to the bathroom to throw up- but he just couldn't tear his gaze away.

The picture itself was of his partner of seven years, and lover of almost one, Special Agent Dana Scully M.D. She was wearing he favourite blue silk pyjamas (the ones that were just that little bit too big, he thought thinking back to her shuffling around his apartment in those pyjamas; the bottom of the legs slipping under her feet and the sleeves coming down and covering her small hands). Her hair was messed up and it was obvious that she had been disturbed while she had been sleeping whenever they took her- whoever _they_ were. Her hands had been tied behind her back, he assumed with the same silver duct tape that was tied around her legs and covered her mouth. There was a small trickle of blood coming from a small cut by her jaw line and an ugly purple bruise forming on her jaw.

But this wasn't the worst part.

The worst was what he saw in her eyes, her perfect hypnotic, deep azure eyes; behind the pure hatred she was sending beyond the camera, underneath the stubborn confidence that shone bright so many times before. What he was fear. A fear he had rarely seen in the eyes of this woman- only once before in a photograph not unlike the one he held now. When she was abducted and taken from her home in the middle of the night.

Written on the back of the Polaroid were nine words, written in block capitals with a black marker.

"WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR HER?"

And underneath, slightly smaller but no less terrifying the words:

"TELL NO ONE "

Reaching over to pick up the phone, Mulder dialled Scully's number with shaking fingers, going wrong and having to start over twice. He had already called her three times since receiving the letter, and logically knew she wouldn't answer but he couldn't stop himself from hoping that maybe- just maybe she would answer and this would all be a huge mistake.

"This is Dana Scully, leave a message."

Her formal, clipped tone ordered just before a shrill beep sounded in his ears, hanging up Mulder swore under his breath and threw the phone down on the couch before continuing to pace and rubbing his hands over his face, trying to calm himself, the same words going round and around in his mind. Scully was missing. Scully was missing.

Someone took her from her bed, in the middle of the night to do god knows what to her. What should he do know?! What was he supposed to do? What the fuck was he supposed to do? Just sit here and twiddle his thumbs hoping, praying that they decided not to hurt her. The FBI side of him was screaming at him to go tell someone, get a team together and bring her home safe. But the lover side, was begging him to just wait. Give them whatever they wanted just to stop them from hurting her.

The photograph fell from his hands, and floated down to the ground, as Mulder let it slip from his fingers before racing to the bathroom, collapsing down before the toilet and vomiting, a million scenarios racing through his mind to quickly to make more sense of.

_Skinner_. His mind yelled, _Skinner will know what to do._

Moving back to the bedroom, and throwing on the first outfit that came to mind, Mulder was out the door as quickly as humanly possible, and breaking almost every traffic law in his haste to get to work as quickly as he could, his thoughts never leaving the picture that was now in his breast pocket, never leaving the fear lurking deep within her blue eyes, her brilliant blue eyes.

"I will find you Scully." He promised, his voice coming out a mere whisper.

***

In what felt like an eternity but was, in reality, a little over an hour Mulder finally arrived at the J Edger Hoover building and was on his was up to the office of AD Walter Skinner, his breath coming out in rapid pants, and then he was storming to the closed office door, ignoring the protests of the petite secretary who had stood up and was rushing to his side. It was then, with his hand on the doorknob that he froze, three words appearing in his mind.

"Tell no one."

He knew, he just knew that if he told Skinner of Scully's disappearance they would know. No matter what precautions he took, or how subtle he was, somehow they will find out. And then what? What will they do to her then? What if they hurt her? Killed her? How could he live knowing he was the reason Scully was murdered?

"-portant meeting." Kim finished as Mulder came back down to Earth and stared blankly at the small redhead, blinking slowly  
"huh?" He asked dumbly watching as Kim heaved a sigh and squeezed the bridge of her nose- she didn't have the patience for Agent Mulder's rebellion today.

"Agent Mulder," she began, "AD Skinner is currently in the middle of a very important meeting at the minute, but you can leave a message with me, and I'll be sure he gets it as soon as the meeting ends." She promised looking up at the tall, lanky brunette who appeared to have zoned out on her again.

It took him several seconds for the worlds Kim was saying to actually process in his mind before he managed to shake his head and turned to the open door, "no- no, I.. No thank you." He mumbled fleeing the room, leaving a baffled Kim watching his retreating form.  
"Okay then." She muttered to herself going back behind her desk to answer the ringing phone, "AD Skinner's office."

***

Mulder sat in the small office staring over at the small, no tiny, workspace Scully managed to squeeze into all day, every day. How did she do it? She didn't even have a desk... He could remember her saying before, she needed a desk, before and after 'The incident in Philadelphia' as he called it. Hell her name wasn't even on the damn door!

What the hell was the matter with him? This was her office as much as it was his, and there was nothing in here that belonged to her!

He glanced over to the clock watching the second hand tick, tick, ticking away- it had been hours since he had received his post, received the picture, and he had been completely unable to function properly the only thing on his mind for the whole day was his missing partner, the look in her eyes.

When the phone rang, Mulder physically jumped and stared down at the shrill machine as if he had no idea how to make the noise stop. Eventually he reached down and picked up the receiver, only when he opened his mouth to speak nothing came out. He paused, clearing his throat he tried again, this time his voice came out a low croak from lack of use but it was better than before, "Mulder."

"_What would you do for her?"_ came the distorted reply, the sound causing him so sit upright his attention immediately on the caller,  
"who is this?" he growled, feeling is heart beat painfully in his chest, receiving no reply until a few minutes later,  
_"What would you do for her Agent Mulder?"_ Mulder froze blinking rapidly,  
"I... I..."  
_"Tomorrow night..."_ the voice continued, _"'The George Washington University' Amanda Williams... We want the locket around her neck.."_  
"What?" Mulder interrupted, the mysterious voice went on to provide him with an address and time due for the locket to be delivered to them, much to Mulder's dismay. "But how am I supposed to-" Mulder interrupted but was cut off by the voice  
_"-we want Williams hurt.... Do what you have to do get the necklace, and put her in George Washington University Hospital by Friday. We want her fighting for her life."_

All the colour drained from Mulder's face. They actually wanted him to attack a young woman, steal from her for no reason. How did they expect him to do this? How could they expect him to be able to hurt someone like that? How would Scully ever be able to look at him knowing that he hospitalised a girl doe her? "I... I can't..." he told the voice.  
_"You have to Agent Mulder... Agent Scully's safety rests on it."_

And with that the unknown voice hung up the phone and Mulder was left alone with the sound of the dial tone to keep him company. He couldn't do this. He couldn't hurt some poor girl just because some bastard told him to- he just couldn't, they couldn't expect him to. But what about Scully? He couldn't sit there and do nothing knowing that somewhere Scully was being hurt, she was crying out for him to help her. And it would be his fault.

"Jesus." Mulder muttered dropping the phone back to the cradle. What was he going to do now? He wondered his eyes darting around the office.

Could he do it? Could he really attack this 'Amanda Williams' just to keep Scully safe? What would Scully say? She would find out- of course she would find out and so would Skinner, and all the other Assistant Directors and then the Director of the FBI and then he would be fired.

Looking down at the desk her realised that he had been writing on a yellow postit, without realising it. Reading what he had written he shuddered realising he had unconsciously made the decision. On that postit was a name, and a place.

'AMANDA WILLIAMS  
GEORGE WASHINTON UNIVERSITY'


End file.
